Chapter 105 Ch. 75
Ethan gasped, whipping around. His eyes widened in shock to see Lorenzo standing in front of him, eyes brimming with anger.
“Father?”
“Brought back-up,” he hissed. He grabbed Ethan by the scruff of his neck. “What the hell were you and your uncle thinking? With such few men?”
“How did you—”
“And a fucking human?” His father’s anger radiated off him. “He knows our weakness? Ethan!”
“I—”
“We’ll speak about this later.”
Ethan nodded meekly and pulled free from his father’s grip, then turned, moving down the corridor without looking back. The noise of the fight faded as he ran, replaced by the pull in his chest growing stronger with every step.
He turned a corner and nearly collided with three figures standing in a wide room.
Two men stepped forward at once, looking at him menacingly. They were much larger in size than he was. The woman, on the other hand, stayed back, looking terrified.
Before they could react, he reached behind him and pulled out the wooden stakes strapped to his lower back, then drove the first one into the chest of the man closest to him. The body fell onto the floor with a thud. The second man lunged, and Ethan twisted, pushing the stake in and ripping it free before the blade could reach him.
The woman screamed and rushed at him. Ethan struck her across the face and shoved her into the wall, then brought his knife down into her side. She slid to the floor, bleeding and gasping, but she was still alive.
He turned away from her and froze.
Zara was chained to a chair at the end of the room.
She looked extremely terrified. Her clothes were clean, and her hair was let loose around her shoulders.
However, her skin was pale—almost ashy—and her lips had lost their rosy pink color. Dark marks circled her wrists, upper arms, and neck.
“Oh my goodness,” he gasped, staring at her like he’d just seen a ghost.
They both had eyes filled with tears.
“Ethan,” she said, her voice sounding almost inaudible. “You came for me.”
“Yeah,” he said, his voice breaking. “I did.”
He looked around at the men and squatted near them, searching their pockets for keys. When he found them, he crossed the room to her.
His hands shook as he reached for the chains. He worked at them clumsily, his fingers slipping as he pulled them loose one by one. The metal fell away with heavy clinks against the floor.
She stood up slowly just as he did, and then took a step forward and swayed.
“I’ve got you,” he said quickly, catching her as her knees buckled. He wrapped his arms around her and held her upright, his face pressed into her hair as he breathed her in.
She clutched his jacket, her fingers curling into the fabric as her body shook with fear.
“I thought I was going to lose you,” he finally whispered.
“Well, I’m here, aren’t I?” she whispered back, her voice sounding hoarse.
They stayed like that for a moment, holding each other as the noise outside faded into something far away. When they finally pulled apart, he lifted a hand and wiped the tears from her face. Then he brushed a curl from her face, his fingers lingering at her cheek, then tracing the line of her jaw.
They looked at each other for a long second.
And their lips crashed together.
The second their lips touched, a spark shot right through her. His grip on her face tightened a little bit, and he deepened the kiss immediately. He could taste the salt of her tears and she, the mint on his breath.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, needing him just as much. It felt like if they let go, the world might fall apart again.
She let out a shaky breath against his mouth, her body finally relaxing for the first time that day.
A sharp noise echoed down the hall.
Ethan broke away first, turning and ready to fight just as heavy footsteps filled the doorway. Lorenzo stood there with several men behind him. He barked orders to them in Italian and immediately their hands were busy; lifting cases, pulling tubes, gathering dishes filled with blood, and equipment from the room.
“We’re done here,” Lorenzo said. “Two of you. Move.”
More men poured in, crowding the space. The injured woman was dragged out roughly and being tied up.
Ethan felt Zara’s hand slip into his sleeve. He squeezed it once, then loosened his grip as he led her down the corridors. He could feel her fear and disbelief and the fact that her hands kept shaking.
The outer lounge was emptied out, dead bodies piling the area. Some had melted and burnt flesh from combustion due to what Noah had done to them, while most of the others had wooden stakes jutting out of their chests.
“It’ll make an odd crime scene,” Dylan commented, seeing as Ethan’s eyes travelled around.
Noah appeared near him and as soon as Zara looked up, her face lit up as much as it could.
“Noah,” she said, her voice cracking.
She pulled free from Ethan and ran the short distance between them on wobbly legs. Noah caught her easily, wrapping his arms around her as she buried her face in his chest. He held her there, one hand at her back, the other cradling her head.
“You’re alive… I’m so…” he said softly, then kissed her forehead, unable to complete the sentences.
Ethan stopped walking.
He watched it all, his jaw clenching in annoyance, something sour settling in his chest. He said nothing as Zara stepped back, still holding onto Noah’s sleeve.
“The fuck are you all waiting for?” Lorenzo snarled. “Move it.”
They did, stepping outside of the large lobby expanse and to where the vans were parked.
Lorenzo climbed into the same van as Ethan, Zara, Noah, and Dylan.
Dylan shot him a look, eyebrows lifted, but Lorenzo returned it with a cold gaze and gave a nod to the driver who looked at him through the rearview mirror.
Lorenzo’s door shut with a solid sound, and the engine started.
As soon as they moved, the other vans, about six of them that Lorenzo had brought, followed behind.
No one spoke during the drive. Zara leaned against the seat, her eyes feeling dry. Noah stayed close to her. Ethan stared straight ahead trying not to snap Noah’s head.
Maybe when they got back, he could compel him to forget about Zara. Or compel him to pour his attention somewhere else. Perhaps, him and one of those popular cheerleaders…
When they reached the house and parked, Lorenzo stepped out first.
“Tie them up,” he said to the guards, nodding toward Noah, Ethan, and Dylan as he walked past them.
Then he turned back, his gaze landing on Zara.
“And give the girl a nice room to sleep.”